Archipelago

An archipelago is a landform which consists of a chain or cluster of islands. Archipelagoes usually occur in the open sea; less commonly a large land mass may neighbour them. Archipelagos are often volcanic, forming along ocean ridges or hot spots, but there are many other processes involved in their construction, including erosion and deposition.

The word comes from the Aegean Sea (Italian Arcipelago), which literally means "chief sea", from Greek arkhi (leader) and pelagos (sea).

List of famous archipelagoes

• Aegean islands (the original use of the term)
• Aleutian Islands
• Arctic islands, Canada
• Azores
• Bahamas
• British Isles
• Canary Islands
• Cape Verde Islands
• Falkland Islands
• Florida Keys, USA
• Fox Islands, USA
• French Polynesia
• Galapagos Islands
• Gothenburg, Sweden
• Hawaiian islands
• Indonesia
• Japan
• Juan Fernandez
• Kerguelen Islands
• Maldives
• New Zealand
• Philippines
• South Orkney Islands
• South Shetland Islands
• Stockholm - Åland - Turku, Sweden
• Tierra del Fuego

See also

• geography
• earth science
• geomorphology
• list of landforms
• physical geography
• plate tectonics\n